The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1887-05-05
HAWKS AND OWLS.

government Experts Estimate that They
| are Worth e25,OOO Year.
The ornithological division of the govern.
ment Department of Agriculture estimates
tnat each hawk and OWLS worth S25, 600 per
annum to the farmers of the country. The
estimate Is based upon the assumption that
every neld mouse not caught will damage
crops to the amount of two cents a year
Negotiations have been pending for some
time between the chief orinthologist of the
department Of Agriculture and a man who
has had great deal of experience as
trainer of falcons in Europe. These negotia.
tions are for the purpose of securing the SER
vices of this man to train number of bawks
for use In the rice fields of South Carolina.
Inc planters there are clamoring for some
method of Kidding their fields of rice birds.
which play frightful havoc with their crops
every year. 1t has been found that the pres.
ence OF living hawk in the air over field
OF rice will cause the immediate departure of
every bird in the vicinity. Guns, drums and
other implements for creating a great noise
are only partly successful. A stuffed hawk
Will 90 well enough for day or two, but the
depredators soon learn that there is little to
fear from dead enemy. It is therefore pro.
posed to try the effect of trained birds. II is
the purpose of the department to begin with
small number this year. and if the plan
proves successful to the rice bird problem. II
is likely that every rice planter in the South
will be supplied in the near future with a
flock of falcons. The following extract from
letter received at the department from Mr.
William Miles Hazard, of Annandale. s. C..
Will give some idea of the trouble which the
nce plrd causes the planters in that State:
a. The bobolink makes its appearance during
the latter part of April. At that season thn;r
plumage is white and black, and thew sing
merriiy when at rest. Their fight is always
% a. m,gnt. IN the evening there are none; BY
morning Iheir appearance is heralded by
popping OF whips and musketry firing of the
6lrd-minders in their efforts to keen them
from puiilng up young rice. This warfare
Is Kept up incessantly until about the 25th of
NAY, Nay, when When they suddenly disappear at night
plumage as the rice bird. Nosong this time
put chirp which means ruin to any rice
found IN milk. My plantation record will
show that for the past ten wears. excent
when prevented by stormy south or south
tha Mes. ;nht Mtus, .ney nave come punctually on
tne night OF August q, apparently coming
from seaward. All night their chirp can
De heard passing over our summer homes on
South Island, which is situated on the east
Of our rice plantations, SIX miles distant in in
iul! view OF the ocean. Curious to say, dur |
birds, but during the nights of August 81
y, 20, and "a millions of these birds make |
their appearance and settle in the rice fields
From the 2lst of August to the 25th of Ser.
tember our every effort is to save the crop.
me, Men boys ana women are posted with guns
and shoot daily an average of abont one
quart of powder to the gun. The firing
pegins at first dawn of day, and is kent mn |
until sunset. After all this expense and
n%an tro9nie our Loss Of rice acre seldom falls
nnaer tho nve e. bushels, and If from any cause
which prevents the grain from being hard
and leaving 1t in milky condition. the
destruction of such fields is Complete. for the
crop would not pay to cut and bring out of
1--WE have tried every plan to keen these
pests off our crops at less expense in monev sm~
and manual labor than we now incur. and
nave been unsuccessful. Our present mode
is expensive imperfect and thoroughly un-
satisfactory; yet It is the best we can do.
!. regard these birds as destructive in the rice
region as the caterpillar is in the cotton belt,
with this difference, that these rice birds
never fail to come. OF course great
numbers of birds are killed and used as an
article of food. From eating rice they be-
come very fat; their bones are softened and
oI, ~ eSie'aHCe' II tne government
COULD devise some means to aid in keeping
on these birds it would render us great
service. However, there will not he onv
need Of this assistance if the duty on foreign
rice is decreased. AS it now stands we can
10 no more than hold our own against the
:heaply-grown rice of foreign Countries.
1nce remove protection and rice planting in
ms country will be abandoned, as our loss
~ birds and expense of keeping them off
n order to make anything renders the
cultivation dangerous speculation. During
ne seabird season we employ about 100 bird
ninders, who shoot from three to five kegs
u powder daily, each weighing twenty-five
will form some idea what these birds cost